NATURAL PRODUCTS

May 18 2026RELIGION

Why natural labels hook us: a Tibetan case study

People worldwide lean toward products marked “natural, ” especially food. But does faith tilt this bias even more? Researchers zeroed in on Tibetan Buddhists who print religious texts under strict natural light rules. They wondered: would these printers prefer natural-labeled apples over others? Fi

reading time less than a minute
Jul 15 2025SCIENCE

Unlocking Nature's Tiny Chemists: The Promise and Pitfalls of Cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria, often overlooked, are nature's tiny chemists. These blue-green algae pack a punch, producing a variety of biologically active compounds. These compounds play a big role in ecosystems and even hold promise for new medicines. However, tapping into this potential isn't easy. Researchers

reading time less than a minute
Mar 11 2025HEALTH

Nature's Secret Weapons: Fighting Inflammation with Plants

Inflammation is a tricky thing. It's like a double-edged sword. It helps the body fight infections and heal injuries, but it can also cause problems when it goes into overdrive. This is where natural products come in. Some plants have special compounds that can calm down inflammation. These compound

reading time less than a minute
Jan 24 2025SCIENCE

A Twist of Chemistry: Using Alcohols to Build Fluoroalkylated Bridged Biaryls

Scientists have found a simple and effective way to create special molecules called bridged biaryls. They did this by combining alcohols with a specific type of biaryl oxazepine that has fluoroalkyl groups attached. Using a catalyst called chiral phosphoric acid, they were able to add the alcohols t

reading time less than a minute
Dec 14 2024SCIENCE

Exploring MIBiG 4. 0: A Community Effort in Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Curation

Biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) are like tiny factories in cells that produce special molecules with big impacts. These molecules, known as secondary metabolites, can be used in medicine, agriculture, and engineering. To share information about these BGCs in a standardized way, the MIBiG data stan

reading time less than a minute